Automatic train-pipe connector.



1. v. RoBmsou.

AUTOMATIC TRAIN PIPE' CONNECTOR. APPLICATION FILED D561 6. I913.

Patented Jan. 16; 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

16 I I Suva W06 1 wvbnaooao .I. V. ROBINSON. AUTOMATIC TRAIN PIPE CONNECTOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 6. 1913- I Patented Jan. 16,1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2. Z6

II II III FIG. 5.

J. v. nosmsou. AUTOMATIC TRAIN PIPE CONNECTOR.

- APPLICATION man DEC. 6. 1913.

} Patented Jan. 16,1917.

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JOSEPH V. ROBINSON, OF CHEVY CHASE, MARYLAND.

AUTOMATIC TRAIN -PIPE CONNECTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J an, 16, 1917,

Application filed December 6, 1913. Serial 1V 0. 805,158.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JosEPH V. ROBINSON, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Chevy Chase, in the county of Montgomery, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Train-Pipe Connectors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to automatic train pipe connectors for railway cars and more particularly to that type of connector having an oval shaped coupling head provided with forwardly extending outwardly diverging guiding prongs having right angle portions constituting a socket for snugly receiving an opposing head and for preventing relative angular movement between the faces of mating heads when coupled. Experience and many tests have proven the curve or contour of previous constructions to be wrong in that it permits opposing heads, in coupling under conditions of disalinement, to reach the entrance to the sockets of the prongs at an angle thereto and since the heads cannot enter the sockets at an angle, causes fouling or jamming of the heads.

My invention provides an improved guiding prong having sockets of size to snugly receive mating heads and lock them against relative angular movement and having also a guiding face and guiding edges of such shape as to insure accurate alinement of the heads with the sockets before entering therein, whereby the last inch or so of movement of the heads is strictly parallel with the walls of the-sockets as they slip into the latter, insuring easy and correct coupling of the heads free from all binding and jamming. In this manner connection may be readily made under all conditions of service with a uniform gathering action to the coupling head, reduced strains to all the parts, and a tight connection between the faces of mating heads obtaining at all times.

The invention consists in the combinations, improvements and constructions hereinafter described, Pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1, is a side elevation of my improved coupling head, showing also part of the support therefor. Fig. 2, is a front face view of the head. Fig. 3, is a plan view thereof showing a section of the prongs taken on the line 33 of Fig. 4. Fig. 4, is a face view of my improved coupling head showing a series of transverse sections through the guide or prong on a line parallel to the face of the head. Fig. 5, is a plan View showing two of my improvedcoupling heads in the act of coupling, and Fig. 6, is a 'face view thereof. 7

Referring to the drawings: Any satisfactory means for yieldingly supporting the coupling head B and for attaching it to a car may be used with my improvement. For

, this purpose I indicate at A a conical spiral spring which is adapted to be connected with any of the well-known types of bases or brackets for suspending the coupling from the car.

The coupling head B is of oval outline viewed from the front and diagonally spaced upon its face 10, I provide my improved guides or guiding prongs 11. I have portions 12 which extend forwardly of the coupling face of the head and at substantially a right angle thereto to approximately the point 13 to constitute a socket X. for closely receiving complementary surfaces 14 211] the side of an opposing head. These portions 12 of the prongs are formed on the inner face thereof and lie entirely in the vertical plane and project inwardly toward the center of the connector head B, as shown especially in Figs. 1 and 2. The complementary surfaces 14 also lie entirely in. the vertical plane, but project outwardly of the head instead of inwardly thereof and fit snugly within said socket X in coupling with which socket they cooperate to firmly lock coupled heads against relative angular movement. These projecting surfaces and the lateral shoulders 24 and 26 hereinafter mentioned constitute the only interlocking surfaces of the heads. They engage with opposing heads in vertical and horizontal planes only, all other portions of the prongs and the sides of the head being thereby held out of engagement; thus greatly simplifying manufacture, reducing the friction between engaging heads and lessening the probability of jamming and binding. 4

From the point 13 to approximately the point 15 each of the prongs flares gradually in. the horizontal plane, and from the point The prongs 15 to approximately the point or extremity v 16 each flare abruptly also in the horizontal plane. Both are provided with upper and lower guiding edges 17 and 1-8 which are curved slightly in the vertical plane at the base of the prongs, as at 19 and 20, and these curves change, as they approach the forward extremity 16 'of the prong, from a relative abrupt curve to a gradual curve encompassing the whole face of the prong, as shown by sections 21, 22 and 23 of Fig. a. The lower one of these edges is provided with a lateral shoulder 24:, lying in the horizontal plane and extending forwardly of the coupling face of the head Band at a right angle thereto to approximately the point 25 for mating with a similar shoulder 26 leading from the sides of the connector head and extending rearwardly of the face thereof at a right angle thereto as shown. From the point 25 outward, said guiding edge 18 iscurved in the vertical plane, the radius of the curve being comparatively short to give to the prong a wide face, as illustrated particularly in Figs. 2 and 6.

The upper edge 17 of the prong curves laterally of the head in the horizontal plane from the rear face of the head to the forward extremity 16 of the prong (see Fig. 3) the distance from a vertical line extending tangentially to the curve'19 of such edge to the point a thereof being considerably less than the distance from a like line extending tangentially to the curve 20 of the lower edge 18 to the point 3) of such lower edge. This gives to the edge 18 a wide way for the cooperating prong to travel up in coupling, insuring against biting and impinging of either prong in the crotch 27 of the head.

The operation of my improved guiding prongs isas follows: As is well known great difliculty is encountered in connecting the old style of coupling head and prong under a condition combining extreme vertical and lateral disalinement. Such a condition carries the upper prong of the higher coupling head up and over the upper prong of the lower head. Then as the prongs aline the heads vertically, the edge 17 of the lower prong fouls or jams under the higher prong at about the point 28. This jamming at 28 l lessen'by curving the edge 17 laterally immediately as it leaves the rear face of the head, thereby carrying such edge away from the path of the point 28 of the higher prong in coupling. 1 complete the elimination of such jamming by giving to the prong the abrupt curve fromthe point 15 to the point 16 and extending such abrupt curve forwardly of the head by interposing b t it and the coupling face of the head the right angle portion 12 and the gradually flaring portion from the point 13 to the point 15. This abrupt curve when so 10- catcd shifts the heads to lateral alinement in the early stages of coupling and before the edge 17 of the lower prong reaches or gets under the point 28 of the higher prong,

see particularly Fig. 5, insuring accurate alinement of the heads with the sockets or bearing surfaces 12 in advance of seating therein, whereby the last inch or so of movement of the heads to final register is strictly parallel. During this operation of the said abrupt curve, the curve in the vertical plane of the edge 18 operates to lift the heads quickly into vertical alinement and carry the edges 17 past each other without engagement thereof. Such alinement of the heads is shown in Figs. 5 and 6' where it will be observed that although the faces of the heads are a considerable distance apart, the sockets .X are virtually plumb with their coopera- 1. An automatic train pipe coupling head,

comprising an oval shaped couplingface having diagonally spaced thereon a pair of flaring guiding prongs provided with portions 12 that extend forwardly of the face of the head, at a right angle theret and lie entirely in the vertical plane and project from the inner face of the prong inwardly L toward the coupling head for mating with corresponding surfaces 14: of an opposing head to lock the heads against relative angular movement when coupled.

2. An automatic train pipe coupling head, comprising a coupling face having round corners and provided with forwardly extending outwardly diverging guiding prongs each prong having on its inner face an inwardly projecting surface 12 lying in the vertical plane and having also a shoul der 2% lying in the horizontal plane, said surface 12 being adapted to mate with a complementary surface 14 at the side of an opposing coupling head and said shoulder 24: being adapted to mate with a complementary shoulder 26 at the side of said opposing head to lock such head against relative angular movement when coupled.

3. An automatic train pipe coupling head, comprising a coupling face having round corners and provided with diagonally spaced forwardly extending outwardly diverging guiding prongs, each prong being provided with a portion 12 extending fen to approxie comprising a coupling-face having roiin ,corners and; provided with diagonally ing outwardly abruptly to approximately the point 16, each of said prongs being prm vided with upperand lower, guiding edges which edges are curved in the vertical plane and which curves change as they approach the forward extremity of the prong from a comparatively abrupt curve to a gradual curve encompassing the whole face of the prong, substantially as and for'the purpose described. e

5. An automatic train pipe couphng headi spaced forwardly extending outwardly d1- verging! guiding prongs, each prong being provided with a portion 12. extending forwardly of the head and at an angle to the face thereof toapproximately the point 13, and thence flaring outwardly gradually to approximately-the point 15, and thence flaring outwardly abruptly to approximately the point 16, each of the said prongs being provided with upper and lower guiding edges which edges are curved in the vertical plane to different extents, whereby the distance from a vertical 1 line parallel to the face of said head and tangent to the curve of the upper one of such edges tothe' point a of said edge is less than-"the distance from a like linetangent to the curve of the lower advance of meeting of their faces.

in presence of two witnesses. 7

one of said edges to the point I) of such lower edge. v

6. An automatic train pipe coupling head comprising a coupling face having roun corners and provi ed with diagonally spaced guiding prongs each pronghaving an upper and lower guiding edge, the lower edge being extended from .the side. of said head forwardly of the coupling face thereof and at an angle thereto and thence flaring outwardly, and the upper guiding edge being flared outwardly of the head immediately as it leaves the face of the latter and-being also connected approximately with the center of the head at one end thereof.

. '7. In an automatic train 'pipe coupling, the combination ofa coupling head provided -with guiding prongs, each prong having an upper and lower guiding edge and an inner guiding face, the upper guiding edge of the prongs being flared gradually out wardly from" approximately the coupling face of the head to the forward. extremity of the prongs, and the lower guiding edge being extended forwardly of the face of the head at substantially a right angle there to for a short distance and thence flaring 'gradually in both the horizontal and verti cal planes to the forward extremity of said prongs, the said inner face of the prongs beng extended forwardly of the coupling ,face of the head and at a right angle thereto, to substantially the point 13, and thence flaring slowly outwardly to approximately the point 15 and thence flaring outwardly ab ruptly to substantially the point 16, whereby mating coupling heads are brought into accurate-vertical and lateral alinement-in ..-In testimony whereof I aflix'my signature JOSEPH V.-RoBINsoN;

' Witnesses:

KATHERINE V. Boswm,

M. SHERIDAN. 

